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About

I am a medical doctor and Specialist in Endocrinology & Metabolism, caring for patients with diabetes, thyroid, other hormone, and weight management issues. After completing my training as an Endocrinologist in 2005 at the University of Calgary, I have had busy clinical practices in both Calgary, Alberta, and at the Royal University Hospital at the University of Saskatchewan. I spent a year on a research sabbatical at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, intensifying my interest and passion for the study and management of obesity. I'm involved in research in several areas, from lifestyle change, to innovative new ways to treat diabetes, to gastric bypass surgery.
I am passionate, enthusiastic, and driven to help conquer the stigma against obesity; educate health care professionals and the public about obesity, diabetes, and healthy living; and to help us become a healthier society!

>> Sunday, March 28, 2010

Modern day China provides an unfortunate example of the toxic effects of adopting more western-style habits of unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyle: according to a new study, there are now nearly over 200 MILLION people affected by either diabetes or prediabetes.

The China National Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Study Group published an article in this week's New England Journal of Medicine that spells out the details of this metabolic disaster. They conducted an impressively large study of over 46,000 adults from across China, and tested their blood sugars. They found that based on this sample, approximately 92.4 million Chinese adults have diabetes (more than half of these being undiagnosed), and 148.2 million Chinese adults have prediabetes.

When you consider that these numbers total over six times the entire population of Canada, the implications are simply staggering to try to comprehend.

The underlying contributors to this explosion of diabetes in China are several, but one of the dominant themes is the urbanization and 'westernization' of Chinese society. With the advent of fast food to this nation, obesity has exploded in this society in a likewise fashion. Similarly, Chinese urban centres are coming more and more to resemble our own: motorized transport, increased use of the internet, less focussed exercise.... all of these elements have sunk the activity levels to an all time, Western-style, low. So, it seems that the bad habits of the western world have had a seriously negative impact on the metabolic health of our Chinese friends.

To add to the difficulty of the situation, people of Chinese ethnicity have a higher risk of developing diabetes, due to a higher genetic disposition to develop insulin resistance at a lower BMI. Diabetes onset often occurs at a lower BMI compared to people of caucasian ethnicity (though this certainly varies from person to person).

The way in which people of Chinese background manifest high sugars also presents a challenge. According to this recent study and studies before it, Chinese people have a disposition towards having high sugars after a meal even if they have normal blood sugars in the fasting state. As the first step in screening for diabetes is with a fasting blood sugar, it is possible that some of these diabetes diagnoses could be missed if sugars are not tested after a carbohydrate challenge as well.

The situation in China raises yet another red flag: the global tendency towards a progressively more unhealthy lifestyle is having a serious toll on our health, and raises potentially grim prospects for our futures unless we turn things around.

A HEARTFELT WELCOME!

I am excited that you have arrived at my site, and I hope you are too - consider this the first step towards a Healthier New You!! As a medical doctor, Endocrinologist, and obesity specialist, I am absolutely passionate about helping people with weight management. Though there is certainly no magic cure for obesity, there IS a successful treatment plan out there for you - it is all about understanding the elements that contribute to your personal weight struggle, and then finding the treatment plan that suits your needs and your lifestyle. The way to finding your personal solution is to learn as much as you can about obesity: how our toxic environment has shaped us into an overweight society; the diversity of contributors to obesity; and what the treatment options out there are really all about. Knowledge Is Power!!

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DISCLAIMER

Any medical discussion on this page is intended to be of a general nature only. This page is not designed to give specific medical advice. If you have a medical problem you should consult your own physician for advice specific to your own situation. Postings on this blog represent the personal opinions of Dr. Sue Pedersen. They are not representative of, or endorsed by, Alberta Health Services or C-ENDO Diabetes & Endocrinology Clinic. This site is hosted free of charge by Google's Blogger platform and is intended for residents of Canada as well as health professionals.